waist, and Harper hit the accelerator before the dualie could tip over under their unbalanced weights.
T he motorcycle jumped forward into the night. They buzzed past the oncoming car, Harper squinting against the glare of the headlights, and into the night.
“It worked!” Harper whooped. “It really worked!”
She heard Levi’s voice behind her, close to her ear, but the wind snatched his words away before it reached her ears, and she didn’t dare to slow down.
She’d celebrated their victory t oo soon. There were sirens then, loud ones as the cruisers and the motorcycles came screaming after them. She hunched over the handlebars and urged the motorcycle faster along the dark road. The cruisers were no problem, but the motorcycles, on the other hand….
Harper didn’t dare look behind her, not with Levi holding on to her waist and shivering against her back, but the sirens didn’t seem to be coming any closer. They passed a number of cars going the other way—and went around two heading south, with them. But there was no sign of another roadblock.
The motorcycle whipped by the inconspicuous Welcome to West Virginia sign, and in another minute, Levi signaled the first turn to her, steering them off the highway and onto a back road that was so narrow that the trees formed a tunnel overhead—and just in time, because a few seconds later, she heard the whump-whump-whump of a helicopter in the distance, over the fading wails of the sirens.
Levi squeezed her waist deliberately three times, and she eased off on the gas, the speedometer falling from ninety to sixty to thirty and then twenty.
“Let me drive,” he said then, and she could make out his voice over the rumble of the motor and the sound of the wind in her ears. “Got to get those headlights off.”
“Right,” Harper said, and she pulle d off the edge of the road and put down the kickstand. Her fingers were stiff with the cold as she pulled her purse over to her hip, digging inside for his clothes.
Levi let go and swung off , and lurching slightly. He was shivering so hard that it was visible even in the faint light that filtered through the canopy.
“Are you okay?” she asked, passing over his briefs as the sound of the helicopter got louder. She unbuckled the helmet and pulled it off.
He bent to put the briefs on stiffly. “I will be as soon as I get some clothes on.”
“Do you think the people we passed will know it’s us?” She handed him his shirt. “I mean, if someone asked them.”
Levi snorted as he jerked the tee over his head. “Harper, there was a naked man on the back of the motorcycle. I was pretty hard to miss.”
She frowned as she gave him his pants , then stripped out of his motorcycle jacket.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said in a cavalier tone that made Harper worry very much about it. “We lost them on the highway. As long as we get going before somebody passes us here, we should be free and clear.”
“What about the helicopter?” she asked.
“They have a big area to search. And even with infrared, we’ll be harder to see in the trees.” He looked up above them as he pulled on the jacket and zipped it up. “Though I’d be happier if it was daytime.”
“Why?”
“Infrared on a hot asphalt road. Doesn’t work well in the day.” He stood on one foot as he put a sock and a shoe on the other, then reversed.
“Oh,” she said. The sound of the helicopter was getting softer, just on the edge of hearing now. She held the helmet out to him, wiggling back on the seat to make room for him.
“Thanks.” He strapped it on, covering his face behind the shield, and all at once, Harper was hit by the thought of how much a stranger he was to her.
It seemed like she’d known him forever after what they’d been through, but he’d stolen her car not even forty-eight hours ago. Harper shivered.
She could have been on her way home. By dawn, she could have been lying in her own bed, listening to the shower
T he motorcycle jumped forward into the night. They buzzed past the oncoming car, Harper squinting against the glare of the headlights, and into the night.
“It worked!” Harper whooped. “It really worked!”
She heard Levi’s voice behind her, close to her ear, but the wind snatched his words away before it reached her ears, and she didn’t dare to slow down.
She’d celebrated their victory t oo soon. There were sirens then, loud ones as the cruisers and the motorcycles came screaming after them. She hunched over the handlebars and urged the motorcycle faster along the dark road. The cruisers were no problem, but the motorcycles, on the other hand….
Harper didn’t dare look behind her, not with Levi holding on to her waist and shivering against her back, but the sirens didn’t seem to be coming any closer. They passed a number of cars going the other way—and went around two heading south, with them. But there was no sign of another roadblock.
The motorcycle whipped by the inconspicuous Welcome to West Virginia sign, and in another minute, Levi signaled the first turn to her, steering them off the highway and onto a back road that was so narrow that the trees formed a tunnel overhead—and just in time, because a few seconds later, she heard the whump-whump-whump of a helicopter in the distance, over the fading wails of the sirens.
Levi squeezed her waist deliberately three times, and she eased off on the gas, the speedometer falling from ninety to sixty to thirty and then twenty.
“Let me drive,” he said then, and she could make out his voice over the rumble of the motor and the sound of the wind in her ears. “Got to get those headlights off.”
“Right,” Harper said, and she pulle d off the edge of the road and put down the kickstand. Her fingers were stiff with the cold as she pulled her purse over to her hip, digging inside for his clothes.
Levi let go and swung off , and lurching slightly. He was shivering so hard that it was visible even in the faint light that filtered through the canopy.
“Are you okay?” she asked, passing over his briefs as the sound of the helicopter got louder. She unbuckled the helmet and pulled it off.
He bent to put the briefs on stiffly. “I will be as soon as I get some clothes on.”
“Do you think the people we passed will know it’s us?” She handed him his shirt. “I mean, if someone asked them.”
Levi snorted as he jerked the tee over his head. “Harper, there was a naked man on the back of the motorcycle. I was pretty hard to miss.”
She frowned as she gave him his pants , then stripped out of his motorcycle jacket.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said in a cavalier tone that made Harper worry very much about it. “We lost them on the highway. As long as we get going before somebody passes us here, we should be free and clear.”
“What about the helicopter?” she asked.
“They have a big area to search. And even with infrared, we’ll be harder to see in the trees.” He looked up above them as he pulled on the jacket and zipped it up. “Though I’d be happier if it was daytime.”
“Why?”
“Infrared on a hot asphalt road. Doesn’t work well in the day.” He stood on one foot as he put a sock and a shoe on the other, then reversed.
“Oh,” she said. The sound of the helicopter was getting softer, just on the edge of hearing now. She held the helmet out to him, wiggling back on the seat to make room for him.
“Thanks.” He strapped it on, covering his face behind the shield, and all at once, Harper was hit by the thought of how much a stranger he was to her.
It seemed like she’d known him forever after what they’d been through, but he’d stolen her car not even forty-eight hours ago. Harper shivered.
She could have been on her way home. By dawn, she could have been lying in her own bed, listening to the shower
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